Pilferage of goods from supermarkets and department stores is a major cause of economic loss. Since the baskets of shopping carts are usually maintained spaced above the wheeled portion of the cart's base, the region below the shopping cart basket naturally lends itself to storage of merchandise that can be overlooked by checkout personnel.
In recognition of this long-standing problem, U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,114, discloses one attempt to frustrate use of the region below the cart basket to prevent pilferage. According to the structure of this patent, the wheeled portion of the cart base is provided with a plurality of upwardly inclined struts functioning as obstructions, which struts are added to the standard base of existing carts. While the structure of this patent has been commercially utilized on shopping carts and has proven at least somewhat successful in minimizing pilferage, nevertheless the utilization of additional inclined struts in the manner suggested by this patent is undesirable since these struts perform no other significant function and thus add to the cost of the cart, and result in the cart having an undesirable
U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,832 illustrates a further attempt at minimizing the pilferage problem by providing a cart base which attempts to minimize storage of goods thereon. The base of this latter patent has also been commercially utilized and, while it does minimize pilferage, nevertheless even this base is of less than optimum design in view of the additional manufacturing steps and hence expense involved. More specifically, the undercarriage or base disclosed in this patent utilizes two U-shaped tubular members, a first of which functions in a conventional manner as the basket support and as the terminals for the rear wheels, and the second of which supports the front casters and has leg portions formed in an inverted V-shape, the apex of which is welded to the basket support. Due to the rather complex configuration of the second U-shaped member, including the substantial number of bends and the required number of welded connections between the two U-shaped members (coupled with the additional welded reinforcement associated with each V-shaped portion of the second member), the overall manufacture and assembly of this base is rather time consuming and expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,892 illustrates another prior attempt to minimize the pilferage problem by providing a cart base which minimizes storage of goods thereon. In the base of the cart shown in this latter patent, the base has a one-piece U-shaped tubular element which defines the front bight of the base, with the legs projecting rearwardly and upwardly therefrom for securement adjacent the upper ends of the rear upright legs. This arrangement, however, is difficult to provide both desirable manufacturing techniques and desirable structural strength.
Still other attempts to provide shopping carts having anti-pilferage structural characteristics associated with the cart base are illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,519,622 and 3,931,984.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved base or underframe construction for a nestable shopping cart which overcomes many of the disadvantages which have been experienced with known constructions.
More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved base, as aforesaid, which is effective in minimizing or preventing storage of goods thereon so as to assist in reducing loss of goods due to pilferage, which also provides highly desirable strength characteristics so as to result in the overall cart having desired strength and rigidity, and which significantly improves the manufacture of the cart so as to improve the overall cart quality and reduce manufacturing cost.
A further object is to provide an improved base for a shopping cart, as aforesaid, which provides the above characteristics and at the same time provides the cart with a desirable appearance.
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished by the simplified base construction of the present invention without interfering with, and in fact improving, the desired strength and rigidity of the cart while still retaining the desired nestability of the cart with other like carts.
Briefly summarizing the present invention according to a preferred embodiment, same comprises a shopping cart having an improved base so that the cart retains its ability to nest with other like carts. The base provides improved and simplified construction that has both nesting and storage-preventing characteristics, while providing the base with highly desirable strength and rigidity, as well as manufacturing convenience. The improved base is formed primarily by two conventional U-shaped tubular members which are rigidly joined by storage-preventing braces disposed adjacent opposite sides of the base. The one U-shaped member has a bight and adjacent leg portions arranged generally planar and approximately horizontal so as to permit a basket to be supported directly thereon, with the portions of the legs that are distal from the bight being formed to extend downwardly to define laterally spaced upright legs, the lower ends of which are joined to rear wheel assemblies. The second U-shaped member is disposed more closely adjacent the floor and is spaced upwardly therefrom by the front and rear wheels of the cart. The bight of the second member defines the front end of the base, and opposite ends of the bight join to generally elongate side legs which project generally horizontally rearwardly in diverging relationship for nestability, with rear ends of these side legs being fixedly joined to the upright rear legs adjacent the rear wheels. A storage-preventing brace is disposed adjacent each side of the base, which brace includes an upright brace element which extends generally vertically between one end of the basket-supporting bight and the lower side leg, with this upright brace element having opposite ends thereof fixedly joined, as by welding, to the basket support bight and respective side leg. Each storage preventing brace also includes an angled brace portion which has one end fixed to the basket-supporting bight in the vicinity of the end thereof, with this angled brace projecting forwardly and downwardly so that the other end is fixedly secured to the U-shaped base member in the vicinity of the end between the bight and side leg. The angled brace portion and the upright brace member are preferably defined by a single member which is suitably bent into an inverted V-shaped form from suitable metal rod. In the illustrated embodiment, the two sidewardly-spaced braces are preferably formed from a single elongate metal rod, which formation includes a bight portion which is joined to and extends generally transversely between the forward ends of the angled brace portions.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons familiar with carts of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.